August 07, 2012

St. Augustine’s Huguenot Cemetery and the Real “Huguenot Cemetery”

Time again for another virtual trip to St. Augustine, Florida, a veritable wonderland for a history buff like me but a sad trek for anyone looking for Protestant history . . . there is little to be found here. Save for twenty-one years of British rule, St. Augustine was Spanish and thus Catholic from 1565 to 1821. Protestants were buried (“unceremoniously,” as trolley tour guides ruefully admit) on the adjacent island, and any non-Catholics who ended up passing through St. Augustine were treated with suspicion if not downright vitriol.

There are two Huguenot burial grounds in or near the Nation’s Oldest City. One is an actual cemetery but has only been given the name “Huguenot” to intrigue tourists --- no such people are actually buried there. The other is not a “cemetery” per se but is the actual resting place of the 245 French Protestants killed in September and October 1565. 

The Huguenot Cemetery’s official name for many years was simply the “Protestant cemetery” or the “public burial ground.” It was created in 1821 when an influx of Northerners fell to a Yellow Fever epidemic. By the time it came into being, Northerners had long associated “Protestant” with “Huguenot,” as the Huguenots killed fourteen miles south were best known for their Protestant faith. Thus the burial ground soon became known as the “Huguenot Cemetery,” probably to enhance tourism brochures. In the 1950s cedar trees were planted inside the walls to honor the memory of the Huguenot martyrs. 

Huguenot Cemetery

As to the second place, the location of the actual Huguenot “cemetery” at Matanzas Inlet is unknown. Some think it will simply be uncovered someday after a hurricane or a particularly virulent squall. No one is entirely sure where the Huguenot martyrs were buried or if they were even afforded that respect. If they were, somewhere on the beaches of Matanzas there lie the remains of nearly 250 men who have been mostly ignored for 450 years. I have been to this area twice and have noted a “feeling,” a somber, isolated sense of grief and despair that is difficult to explain.

As so many places in America, especially English-founded, have Protestant origins, it is intriguing to learn that the Nation’s Oldest City had anything but.

(c) 2012 Joyously Saved

August 06, 2012

American Protestants and the French and Indian War

Lately I have included the Anabaptists and Quaker more in my studies, and I learned some very interesting things about the French and Indian War of the 1750s and 60s. (Up until a few years ago I did not know that the “French” and the “Indians” were not the opposing sides; they fought together against the English). Most of my ancestors were in this country by that time and must have participated in one way or another. What religion a man belonged to would dictate whether or not he would fight or would assist in any way.

In 1750s America, Louisiana was controlled by the French, as was “New France” (Canada). The rest of the land (that which had already been settled) belonged to the English. Spain had a small but formidable hold on Florida and also ruled Mexico and Cuba. The English and French started squabbling about territory. Various Native American tribes supported the French Catholics, while many French Protestant, German, and Scots-Irish immigrants fought for England. What a tangled web they wove! 

Lutherans, Reformed, and Presbyterians saw no hindrance with going to war. They believed it was their duty, and their names swelled the rosters. The Quakers, Amish, and Mennonites, however, were pacifists, and had to make decisions on how they might help without contributing to bloodshed. Some agreed to furnish supplies while still maintaining neutrality (such as the Mennonites) but some saw even this act as helping to bring about death (such as the Quakers). Thus America, which had become a Protestant melting pot, was suddenly reminded of the cavernous differences between denominations. 

I found these differences quite interesting, as I have Lutheran and Reformed ancestors who almost certainly would have participated in the French and Indian War. It makes one wonder why they, too, did not protest the war on conscientious grounds. I wonder if it was in part because they feared the domination of Catholic France, while the Anabaptists and Quakers did not have this historical fear. 

Perhaps, having suffered great persecution in the past, Reformed and Lutheran men felt they needed to fight so they might prevent a major enemy presence in Protestant America. Yet the Anabaptists, too, had been persecuted in the past, so that seems irrelevant. It probably boiled down to how strict each confession of faith happened to be. Mainstream Christians have historically gone to war, but Anabaptists, Quakers, and Mennonites have kept even more strictly to Scripture and have refused to fight in many instances.

The French and Indian War is spoken of far too little, though during this frontier time it was perhaps the most important conflict and was responsible for determining which nations would possess what land in the future.

(c) 2012 Joyously Saved

August 05, 2012

More Hymns

Today I took another online excursion through Cyber Hymnal, which is a veritable gold-mine for old-time Christian worship. I like to pick songs that not only have a particularly Protestant flavor but also that evoke the steadfast courage, strength, and devotion of our spiritual ancestors. Occasionally I find a song that is absolutely perfect for the subject matter and which illustrates so clearly what I believe!

By Grace I’m Saved

(Christian Scheidt)

By grace I’m saved, grace free and boundless;

My soul, believe and doubt it not;

Why stagger at this word of promise?

Hath Scripture ever falsehood taught?

Nay; then this word must true remain:

By grace thou, too, shalt Heav’n obtain.

By grace! None dare lay claim to merit;

Our works and conduct have no worth,

God in His love sent our Redeemer,

Christ Jesus, to this sinful earth;

His death did for our sins atone,

And we are saved by grace alone.

By grace! O, mark this word of promise

When thou art by thy sins oppressed,

When Satan plagues thy troubled conscience,

And when thy heart is seeking rest

What reason cannot comprehend

God by His grace to thee doth send.

By grace! This ground of faith is certain;

So long as God is true, it stands.

What saints have penned by inspiration,

What in His Word our God commands,

What our whole faith must rest upon,

Is grace alone, grace in His Son.

(c) 2012 Joyously Saved

August 04, 2012

Charleston’s French Huguenot Church and Its Significance

One of the country’s prettiest Protestant churches began as a result of suffering. Though the Edict of Fontainebleau had not yet been passed --- it was not until 1685 that life for French Protestants would become unbearable --- there had already been a substantial amount of persecution by 1681. French immigrants made Charleston, South Carolina one of their places of refuge. Naturally, they formed their own church. This first church survived until 1796 and was lost in a fire.

The current church was built in 1845 and so the building itself has little connection with the Huguenots of the 17^th century, yet the storied land on which it sits is full of spiritual importance. Also, the interior pays wonderful homage to the Huguenot founders and serves to captivate modern visitors. What is interesting about the French Huguenot Church of Charleston is that no other Protestant church in the country is actually called a “Huguenot Church” under its own jurisdiction.

Unfortunately, I cannot simply drive down to South Carolina (wouldn’t it be wonderful if, while armchair traveling, we could push a button and find ourselves at the destination we desire?) and so I decided to content myself with scouring the web for images of this beautiful Huguenot Church. The exterior is simple yet stunning, painted in white but with unique spires rising on each side of the roof from one end to the other. Large arched windows add character to the front entrance.

The church is even more beautiful inside. The Huguenots and their descendants had a knack for simple but beautiful design. Rich dark woods are everywhere, sometimes in the form of panels with medieval-style indents carved into the middle. The floors are wood, and the wooden pews, dark and of varied wood colors, close at the sides and appear quite old. The altar is flanked with two large tablets and there are also beautifully-decorated tablets on each side of the room. Though I know very little about architecture, I might describe the plaques as “Victorian Gothic revival” or something to that effect, perhaps reflecting the 17^th century designs that would have been popular when a church was first built here. The altar has beautifully-carved wooden screens that call to mind the Anglican chapels one might find in “jolly olde England.”

There are many elements in the French Huguenot Church that give the illusion of being commonplace while having their own twist. For instance, the high arched windows are quite popular in churches of the era, but these have what appears to be dark-colored window blinds halfway up. The bottom parts of the windows have separate small shutters that are opened to let in more light. The church’s chandelier, done in an alternating “wagon wheel” design popular in Spanish mission churches, is quite lovely as well.

Over the doorway is a plethora of carved wooden screens, a beautiful balcony, and arched Gothic windows on the top level. I think I could say that the French Huguenot Church has a holy atmosphere just from looking at the pictures. Though I am Lutheran, I believe I would feel very comfortable visiting this simply-appointed yet quietly grand church. There is something about the Huguenot spirit --- calm, somber yet hopeful, steadfast and courageous, unshakably faithful --- that all Protestants, especially those of the “Reformation faiths,” should admire and imitate.

One of the focuses of this blog has always been to feature Protestant individuals and families whose lives and stories might otherwise be forgotten; random people buried in random cemeteries, random martyrs for the Reformation cause, random faithful individuals known for their devotion. Upon noting that the French Huguenot Church has a lovely old cemetery with stones dating to the 1700s and even some in the late 1600s, I decided to pick three random people buried at the church to learn about and study. These are: Elizabeth Bounetheau, born March 1753 and died November 09, 1834; Magdalen Brabant DeSaussure, born 1710 and died 1761; and Gabriel Manigault, born April 21, 1704 and died June 03, 1781. Many more people buried at the French Huguenot Church can be found at findagrave.com.

I could find no information on Elizabeth Bounetheau other than the fact that she was eighty-one years old when she died. She seems to have disappeared into the pages of history. There are, however, a few other “Bounetheaus” in this cemetery, namely Henry born in 1797, James born in 1793, and a John and Peter whose dates are not known. Perhaps Peter or John was Elizabeth’s husband.

Magdalen Brabant DeSaussure was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, the daughter of Dr. Daniel Brabant and Magdalen (or Madelaine) DeBourdeaux. In 1735 she married Henri DeSaussure in South Carolina. Henri, who is also buried at the French Huguenot Church, was born in 1709 in Lausanne and died in 1761. It makes one wonder why he and his wife might have died the same year. Was there an illness? An accident?

Gabriel Manigault was born in Charleston and was the son of Pierre Manigault and Judith Gitton. He married a woman with a decidedly un-French name, Anne Ashby, in 1730. Gabriel was a merchant and also a planter and was well known in Charleston. He and wife Anne had at least one son, Peter.

I really enjoyed virtually exploring the French Huguenot Church. If luck favors me, someday I will go and see it for myself.

(c) 2012 Joyously Saved

August 03, 2012

Wear Your Faith: Reformation-Style

Pro: There are some venerable Christian clothing outfitters online. Con: There are few stores that carry clothing with specific, “Reformation-approved,” Scripturally-based verses that get into the nitty-gritty of Protestant doctrine. (There is a site called “Old Lutheran” that has Lutheran-based items, but they do not have a very large selection). On mainstream Christian clothing websites there are plenty of shirts with very clever messages, and while I really like these, I wanted something that reflected God’s amazing love shown through the doctrine of grace. 

I like to show I am a proud Protestant with roots in the five solas of the Reformation, with ties to the martyr-blood and to the steadfast courage, strength, and devotion of my spiritual ancestors, yet I am not the type to just walk up to someone and start debating religion. So I picked out a shirt for Christmas (yes, I do shop very early!) that states the Scripture declaration most important to me. I have decided not to include an image as I am unsure of the whole copyright issue when it comes to a store’s merchandise, so I will describe it. The shirt is rather plain, with a white background and big black and blue letters that state “Grace By Faith.” Not incredibly much to look at. But powerful.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith --- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God --- not by works, so that no one can boast . . .” Powerful stuff, and this simple shirt boldly declares why we should always remember God’s simple and liberating means of salvation. I love the idea of shy and/or non-debating Protestants really getting their faith out there through clothing, especially since it is a firm way to declare one’s beliefs without having to discuss them on the fly. This particular shirt is from c28.com and is $19.99 as of August. I was concerned about the sizing (c28.com mostly caters to juniors, or at least it seemed so to me) but it is also possible for adults to wear these shirts if they size up. It might just take a little extra time to figure out how.

I am sure c.28.com is not the only store that has shirts for Christians of the Protestant persuasion. Do some digging. Check out shirt messages. Pick something meaningful. There is nothing wrong with “commonplace” messages, but I personally think it means more to look for something specialized. After all, our ancestors stuck out like sore thumbs . . . why shouldn’t we?

On a side note, just after I wrote this post, I opened “Today’s Bible Reading” from Bible Gateway and the first words my eyes fell upon were from Romans 5, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” I was very pleased :-)

(c) 2012 Joyously Saved

August 02, 2012

Scripture-Searching

One of the things I admire most about the Protestants of the Reformation era and beyond is their ability to memorize large portions of Scripture. Even their enemies were often awed by their knowledge of the Bible and their skill in debating Scriptural subjects. Unfortunately, I have not inherited my ancestors’ spiritual acumen in this regard :-). I have memorized verses, but not in any great quantity; and so today I thought I would open my Bible randomly and simply blog whatever verses my eyes fell upon, trying, if possible, to relate them to the people and events of the Reformation.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 1:7). I kid you not! This is the first verse I opened my Bible to :-) The early Protestants knew firsthand that “walking by faith” in the midst of persecution brought confidence and protection even in the “valley of the shadow of death.”

“‘Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!’ says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 23:1). In the 1500s, there were many measures that could have been taken to promote equality, peace, and the then-unheard-of concept of “agreeing to disagree.” However, persecution developed rapidly, and the rifts were torn, never to be healed. Various Christian denominations took up stances against each other. Had they united --- Calvinist, Lutheran, Anabaptist, etc. --- there might have been fewer deaths and less persecution at the hands of those who could not accept the “new thought.”

“. . . for I have seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go around it on its walls; iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it. Destruction is in its midst; oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.” (Psalm 55:9-11) This, for some reason, reminded me of the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre of 1572. “Violence and strife in the city” and “destruction is in its midst,” however, could apply to many of the engagements during the French Wars of Religion and other such religious conflicts.

“And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’” (Acts 22:7). Those who persecuted the French Huguenots did not realize that, like the Catholics, Protestants too represented Christ. Doctrinal differences aside, harming and imprisoning Protestant believers meant torturing those who lived for Jesus --- and the torturing was done by those who also claimed Christ.

"No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” (1 John 12:15). Sounds simple, right? However, during the days of the Protestant Reformation and for centuries afterward, men on both sides of the fence adamantly declared that they were Christians and their enemies weren’t. The Huguenots of the St. Bartholomew’s were killed because the Parisian mob thought of them as soulless dissenters. If men of the 16^th and 17^th centuries would have read the words of Scripture and really internalized them, they would have understood that all men who confess Christ are Christians. Again, many deaths might have been prevented . . .

The last verse to which I opened my Bible was quite meaningful to me, considering the fate many early Protestant believers were forced to undergo. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.” (Isaiah 43:2) Some might point out that having faith did not prevent believers from being burned at the stake. Though their testimony did not preserve the body, it preserved the soul. The fact that they were redeemed and that their soul could not be destroyed could very well be an allegory for “when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned . . .”

Food for thought.

(c) 2012 Joyously Saved

August 01, 2012

Swiss Reformer Pierre Viret

When I research the French Huguenots and early Protestant reformers, the name “Pierre Viret” keeps popping up. Today I finally delved into his fascinating life story and found it full of adventure --- some good, but mostly, unfortunately for Viret, bad. He was born in Switzerland in 1511. Sometime around the late 1520s he began studying in Paris and came in contact with Protestant ideas. Still very young, he came back to Switzerland and was accepted as a minister. 

Viret had a certain charm and forcefulness in his speech that convinced many to espouse the Protestant cause. These converts included his parents, to whom he now had the opportunity to teach a new and liberating doctrine of grace. Viret, unlike other reformers, was perceived as being cheerful, open, and exuberant. He was called “The Smile of the Reformation,” and many counted him a dear friend. At one point he shared a strong friendship with John Calvin as well. But his enemies cared little for his “smile.” To them he was a threat.

Unlike most reformers, who went through life relatively physically unscathed, Pierre Viret was twice attacked by his enemies. The first such attack was at the hand of a priest when Viret was only in his early twenties. The assailant waited until Viret passed through a field and then attempted to put him to the sword. The young minister recovered, though slowly. Somehow he managed to take even this horrific event in stride when he later said, “We much prefer that you speak publicly to us, instead of waiting in the fields to murder us, of which our backs bear testimony.”

At age twenty-three he was poisoned in Geneva and somehow managed to survive this attack as well. God’s hand was upon Pierre Viret. He never completely recovered, however, and was further weakened by the loss of his wife Elisabeth in 1545. The 1550s were full of doing the Lord's work. In the early 1560s he moved on from such famous cities as Lausanne and Geneva to France, spurred on by a virulent illness and the need to gain strength. Frenchmen were treated to his tender manner and efficiency in preaching Scripture, and many, including a number of monks, were converted. 

The lion of a man known as Pierre Viret died in 1571. His success was immeasurable, and his suffering seemed insurmountable, but he was victorious nonetheless.

(c) 2012 Joyously Saved